Socio-technical systems simulation and analysis : a goal-oriented framework

Abstract

One of the characteristics of the socio-technical systems (STS) is their dynamicity. By including factors traditionally considered external, as the social factor (the people involved), or elements from the environment, the system behaviour may vary in unsuspected ways depending on the circumstances. In many situations STS present an important level of complexity inherent to them; either to its structure, composed of many elements, or to the existent relationships among them. This can lead even to new, unforeseen, emerging features. Such complexity, coupled with the previously mentioned sensibility to changes, can lead to an unexpected behaviour of the system. This may result in the system ending in a state radically di erent, even undesired, from the initial state. In goal-oriented systems, there are situations where unforeseen events can produce very dramatic alterations, making it to stop satisfying goals considered critical goals. Interesting are also the possible actions the system could perform to reach again a valid state, if possible. From the designer point of view, it would be useful to have a mean to analyze this problematic easily in order to obtain knowledge that can help in an hypothetical decision making period.